Brother's Keeper
by pentameter-and-pen
Summary: Captain Cobra. Like all younger brothers, Roland begins to get on Henry's nerves – until he has a chat with a certain pirate. [Set during Season 3B. Slightly AU]


**Brother's Keeper**

Captain Cobra. Like all younger brothers, Roland begins to get on Henry's nerves – until he has a chat with a certain pirate. [Set during Season 3B. Slightly AU]

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**The Hero's Call**

At first, Henry is happy to meet Roland. He'd never imagined that Robin Hood would have a son. But it makes sense. After all he himself is the grandson of both Snow White and Rumplestiltskin. Besides, it's nice to have a reminder that he and his parents aren't the only ones, that fairy tales do live on.

And it doesn't hurt that Roland is a sweetheart. If he's not bringing Henry crumbled up cookies or tightly clutched candy as presents, he's asking to be read to from Henry's storybook, laughing with delight every time Henry acquiesces and begins reading aloud.

But as time goes on, Henry begins to get frustrated with the toddler. If he isn't trying to follow Henry around Storybrooke, he's repeating Henry's every word – like a shorter, curly-haired parrot. As a result, Henry starts planning out 'Operation Chameleon' in an effort to get some more alone time. Because heroes need to train and he can't do that with a two-foot shadow following him around.

That's when he runs into Hook for the first time, the pirate being the only visitor in the otherwise-empty park.

"Hey Killian!" Henry calls out, as he approaches the man.

Hook puts down his book, greeting the boy with a smile. "Henry! What brings you here?"

His eyes flicker to the wooden sword in Henry's hands, but he quickly hides them behind his back.

"I just… wanted to take a walk."

Henry's a terrible liar but Hook doesn't pry, offering the young lad some privacy.

"What're you reading?" Henry asks, eyeing the book in Hook's hand. It's partly a bid to change the subject of the conversation, partly out of curiosity. Ever since Hook revealed his love of books during their drive back to Storybrooke, Henry has been fascinated by where the pirate's literary tastes lie.

So far – based on Henry's suggestions – he enjoyed the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, found the 'Harry Potter' series a bit confusing, and been horrified by the 'Hunger Games'. However he did concede that he'd enjoyed the character of 'Katniss' ("She's not unlike your mother.").

"Well, your mother – Emma – kept mentioning something called 'Treasure Island', so I thought I'd give it a try."

With that Hook picks up something from the bench besides him and slides it into the book as a bookmark. He closes it and hands it over to Henry for a closer look.

"Pardon me lad, but I'm nothing like this 'Long John Silver' character, am I?"

Henry looks at Hook and shakes his head. "No. I think she just calls you that to tease you. There aren't a lot of famous pirates other than 'Captain Hook'."

After studying it for a minute, Henry hands it back. "Looks like a good book."

Hook smiles at him. "Aye, it is."

He nods at Henry and opens it up to where he left off. He slides out the bookmark and places it beside him on the bench. Henry watches as what appears to be a thin band of leather – almost like a strap of some sort – curls inward slightly. He wonders where it's from, for the pirate to have turned it into a keepsake.

"Enjoy your book Killian!" Henry says, quickly walking away.

A few feet away, when he's sure he's out of Hook's sight, he sets the wooden swords down by the base of a tree. Picking up only one, he gets into the position David had taught him all those months ago, and begins practicing his lunges, trying to match his technique to his very fuzzy memories.

A small part of him wishes that David were here. He hasn't had a chance to really spend any time with his grandfather since they returned to Storybrooke. With his grandmother pregnant, and some wicked witch threatening everyone in town, David really hasn't had any time to spare. The time he does have he tries to spend with Emma, clearly wanting to rekindle the connection he'd found with his daughter. And more than anything Henry wants for Emma to experience what having a father was like. After all, he only met his recently.

But as much as much as he loves Neal, he's having a bit of a hard time connecting with him. Thanks to his other set of memories he knows that Neal's responsible for Emma going to prison and giving him up. And having had a taste of what it would have been like had she kept him, he's not been able to completely forgive the man's actions. Not that he's told anyone this yet – he barely knows how he really feels.

But besides that there's the issue of his father hating magic, and all that comes with it. Henry sees it in the way he tenses up when Henry mentions a new spell Regina is trying. Or in how his eyes look relieved when Henry puts his book away. Having read the story of Rumplestiltskin and knowing some of the bad things his grandfather's done, Henry understands where Neal's apprehension comes from. After all didn't Regina, the Evil Queen herself, raise him? And he hasn't rejected his magical fairy tale roots.

Though it probably helps that his other set of grandparents are Snow White and Prince Charming, two of the most heroic people he can think of – besides Emma.

Henry tries not to think about it, but at least his father's coming around to the idea that Emma's the Saviour.

Sometimes he wonders how he wound up with the heart of the 'Truest Believer' when both his parents are so slow to believe.

Well… At least Emma believes now. Maybe his father will come around as well.

"You need a better grip."

Henry jumps. He spins around to see Hook studying him. He immediately stands up straight, hiding the sword behind his back.

"And a better stance." The pirate offers again.

Henry swallows, afraid Hook will tell his mother what he's up to. He's seen the way the man has stuck by his mother's side since they've come back to Storybrooke. Though he doesn't seem to remember him doing the same after their returned from Neverland. But he'd switched bodies with Pan then and his memories are a little fuzzy. Still, everyone in town knows that Captain Hook's only loyalty lies with Emma Swan.

And because friendship is a two-way street, Henry knows Emma will believe what Killian tells her. He's seen the way she's come to trust this man, looking to him for both support and comfort. In that regard, Henry is quite happy for her. He knows she finds it tough to make friends, both here in this town, and out in the world in general. He doesn't remember meeting a single friend of hers in New York, and here it seems that she's inherited all her parents' friends, Ruby and Leroy visiting to meet Snow first, Emma second. It's nice to know she has someone of her own.

It also doesn't hurt that David also seems fond of the pirate – even though he'd never admit it. Nevertheless, Hook can often be found in the prince's company when not two steps behind his daughter.

"Killian, please don't tell Emma-" Henry begins, trying to come up with an excuse for what he's doing.

"Why would I tell her you came to the park?" Hook asks, the expression on his face conveying that he genuinely sees nothing wrong with this.

"I- I don't know." Henry says blushing furiously. He's pretty sure the seasoned pirate standing in front of him can sense his lie. "I'm not really supposed to be out sword fighting."

"Then how else are you supposed to improve?" Hook poses the question as if it's a no-brainer, giving Henry's thoughts a voice.

Henry just stares back unsure how to answer.

"I could offer you a few pointers," Hook says, bending down to swap his book for the second wooden sword lying on the ground. "Would you like that?"

Henry's face lights up like its Christmas morning all over again.

"I would LOVE that!"

"Good." Hook responds with a smile. "Now let's work on that stance."

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Almost two hours later and Henry can already feel a marked improvement in his ability to wield a sword. He lunges at Hook, attacking with more speed and power than he ever used with David. The pirate easily parries him, moving to strike almost immediately – albeit much slower than he would if faced with a real foe.

After barely missing getting clipped in the side by Hook's sword Henry shudders to think what the man must be like in a real swordfight, the sword becoming an easy extension of his arm as he forces Henry onto the defensive.

Henry thinks he sees an opening when Hook spins towards him. But the second he moves it seems that Hook's already reacted and fended him off. The sudden move throws off Henry's balance and he falls on his right side.

"You okay lad?" Hook asks, offering his hand.

"Aye!" Henry says leaping back to his feet and dusting. "That was AMAZING! Where did you learn to do all that?"

"In the navy," he responds. Judging from his expression it's clear that the pirate Hook wasn't expecting such enthusiasm for his skills.

"I didn't know you were in the navy," Henry says, studying him curiously.

Hook bends down to pick up his book. He hands the second sword back to Henry. "That was a long, long time ago."

"Well you HAVE to tell me about it!" Henry insists, beaming up at Hook.

"Perhaps," Hook answers. Despite his reluctant smile Henry has a feeling that the pirate will be telling him about it. In any case he plans on making that happen. So Henry smiles back.

Just then a thought occurs to him. "Killian, can we do this again tomorrow morning?"

"You want to do this again?" Hook looks surprised by his suggestion.

"Then how else am I supposed to improve?" He asks with a grin.

He is rewarded when Hook not only snorts, but also shakes his head and smiles. "Alright. I'll see you back here tomorrow morning. Does 11:00 AM sound good to you?"

"It sounds great!" Henry says, trembling with excitement.

"Good. Because I have a surprise planned. I think you'll quite like it."

Hours later and the excitement still hasn't work off as he climbs into bed. Operation Chameleon is going better than he'd ever imagined.

That night he sleeps with one of the wooden swords under his pillow.

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The next morning Henry is startled awake when something lands on him. Opening his eyes he sees Roland's face beaming down at him, a little flop of hair in his eyes. He brushes it back as he greets him.

"Morning Henry!"

The younger boy is clearly thrilled to see him this early in the day. Henry sighs inwardly but smiles back. He'd been hoping for some privacy to warm up this morning, but Roland's enthusiasm is infectious.

"Morning Roland." He greets him in return.

It's almost impossible but the toddler's smile somehow grows larger upon Henry speaking to him.

"Come on! 'Gina made breakfast!"

Roland's inability to pronounce Regina's full name has resulted in a contraction that Henry quite likes. It's a reminder of his mother's renewed commitment to changing her ways. She no longer goes by the Evil Queen. And he hopes she never does ever again.

Roland bounds off the bed and toward the door, clearly expecting Henry to follow him downstairs immediately. Turning around he sees that Henry still hasn't moved.

"Come on!" He says, gesturing for the older boy to follow him.

Henry nods and slowly slides out of bed, still sore from yesterday's session with Hook. He knows this is a good thing. It means he's toughening up, growing muscles. It isn't long before he too becomes a hero. He smiles at the thought.

"Why're you smiling?" Roland asks as Henry nears him. With Henry's recent growth spurt he easily more than towers over the younger boy.

"I'm just excited for breakfast," Henry lies. Roland nods knowingly. This time Henry's smile is for the fact that Roland is genuinely excited at the thought of simply having breakfast with him.

"I have to go brush my teeth. Why don't you go downstairs and save me a seat?"

"Okay!" Roland says, scrambling down the stairs to ensure that they definitely get seats close together.

Once he's gone Henry quickly goes back to his pillow and fishes out the wooden sword. He stands in front of his mirror and goes into the stance Hook taught him the day before. Once he's confident he's gotten it right he looks back into the mirror.

What he sees is slightly disappointing. His pose is correct, and he's holding his sword and standing exactly how Hook taught him. But something still isn't right. Gazing at his reflection he can't seem to put his finger on it. He frowns. He thought that after his hard work yesterday he'd at least _start_ to look a little heroic.

Instead he simply looks like Henry, forever waiting to be saved.

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Henry descends the stairs to see most – if not _all_ – his family gathered in Regina's foyer. For a second he can't believe his eyes, it's almost as if out of a scene of a Christmas or even Thanksgiving movie.

"Henry!"

Mary Margaret is the first to see him, and she opens her arms for a hug. As he allows himself to be hugged by her he moves his arm, knowing that David will be joining in. It's a given that everything his grandparents do, they do as a team – even hugs. Right on cue, he feels his grandfather joining in, and he squeezes both of them back. Even though he knows they're Snow White and Prince Charming, he still can't believe they're his grandparents during moments like this.

Once its over he walks over to Neal, giving him a brief side-hug. His father smiles at him and ruffles his hair as Henry pulls away. Henry smiles back before heading straight towards Emma.

Her face immediately breaks into a large grin as she lays eyes on him.

"Hey Kid," she says softly so only he can hear as she pulls him into a hug and kissing the top of his head. As he steps out of the hug she gives him a quick once-over. She frowns. "There's something different about you…"

He smiles and shrugs off her concern before she can ask any questions. "Yeah. I spent one night away from home."

Suddenly something hits him and he looks around Emma, searching for something.

"You looking for something?" She asks, an amused expression on her face.

"Where's Hook?" He asks, checking either side of her. But the leather-clad pirate is nowhere to be found.

Emma looks surprised. "He said he had some urgent business to attend to this morning."

"Oh ok." He says, thinking of the possible surprise the pirate has in store for him. He smiles at Emma and heads towards the dining room, greeting Robin on the way. The outlaw and his son have become common fixtures in the Mills household, given that Roland refuses to stray too far from Regina having bonded with her the second they met. And of course, Robin refuses to be parted from his son. Henry's quite happy about this arrangement as it means the house is less empty when he stays over with Emma or sometimes, Neal.

"Henry!"

He hears Roland call out his name the second he steps into the dining room, the young boy kneeling on a chair to better reach his…

"Porridge?" Henry asks as he nears the seat Roland is patting next to him.

Regina is at the stove serving some in a bowl for him.

"What?" She asks, walking over with it. "It's healthy. And growing boys need their strength."

Seeing his expression Emma adds, "You can't eat eggs and toast _every_ morning Henry."

He doesn't say anything in response. Everyone's finally getting along and he doesn't want to ruin that. But nevertheless, the word still gnaws at him – 'boy'.

Henry doesn't know when it began, but he does not enjoy it when people refer to him as a boy any more. He feels as if he's outgrown it, the word stretching a little to tight on his shoulders. This time it's worse because they use it in reference to him _and_ Roland. That's when he wants to point out that he's almost a teenager and nowhere close to five years old and that perhaps they need to find a better word for him. But he doesn't want to make a fuss about the whole thing, especially when there's a wicked witch on the loose.

Instead he just silently adds some cinnamon to his porridge.

But the second he sets the spice container down, Roland reaches for it and begins liberally adding some to his own bowl in an earnest effort to be like Henry in every way he can.

Noticing the tiny boy's actions, Henry quickly takes the cinnamon out of his hands. "I think that's enough Roland."

Quickly comparing both bowls, Roland decides that Henry's right. "Okay!"

As Roland begins to dig into the food in front of him, Henry watches Regina walk across the kitchen to join the adults gathered in the foyer. He sees Robin move to his left to make room for the former queen as she stands beside him. He watches as the man then looks back, checking on his son. It's funny but it seems the former outlaw gives his five year old more latitude than any of Henry's own guardians gives him. Then again, Roland hasn't had as many people come after him.

When Robin's eyes fall on him, Henry just smiles in response and takes a bite. As usual it's just right.

As he chews he tries to focus on what they're saying.

"More people are going missing. We have to do something."

It's no surprise that his grandfather is the first to suggest anything. That's what heroes do – they come to the rescue.

"Well, we know it's the Wicked Witch. We just need to do is find her."

Henry had always thought that Mary Margaret and Emma had a lot in common. But it isn't until he sees David and Emma work together that he sees the family resemblance. Together, the father and daughter make a formidable crime-solving team.

"How hard can that be?"

This time it's his father. Henry's happy he's helping with this mission. He wants nothing more but for him to be a hero too.

"Quite hard if she knows what she's doing. And trust me, she does."

Regina chimes in, clearly the authority on magic, witches and curses.

"Well then we need to find some other way."

Mary Margaret's voice is as hopeful as ever. Henry doubts she could ever lose that quality.

"I didn't say I couldn't find her. After all, _I _am the better witch." Regina bites back.

Henry looks up to see Robin raise a hand and gently put it on her shoulder. She jumps at his touch, but she doesn't shrug out of it.

"Then all you need to do is use your magic to track her down."

Robin's voice is calm and reasonable as he points this out.

Just then Henry feels some tugging at his arm, he turns to his right to see Roland beaming back up at him.

"What's your favourite animal?"

"Huh?" Henry asks, confused by his sudden shift in focus.

"What's your favourite animal?" Roland asks again, eagerly awaiting Henry's answer.

"I don't know. I never thought about it," he answers, while his mind tries to get back to the conversation in the foyer.

"Mine's monkeys!" Roland explains. "I didn't used to like them. But now I do."

He reaches below the table and pulls out the grey stuffed monkey he insists on carrying everywhere.

"That's good Roland," Henry replies, straining to hear what's being said.

"_Henry!_" Roland calls out.

"YES Roland!" Henry answers, turning back to the small boy.

"Do you like chocolate, or vanilla?"

Suddenly there's banging on the door.

Henry jumps to his feet, ready to act. His hand goes to his belt, but there's no sword there. Glancing at the foyer he sees everyone else ready to spring into action as well – David's hand is on the hilt of the sword in his belt, while Emma has her gun out. Even Regina already has the beginnings of a fireball in her hand.

The door opens to reveal Leroy gasping for breath.

"Flying monkeys! Near the woods!" He pants as he stumbles into the house. "Flying monkeys! Near the woods!"

"Leroy! Calm down and tell us what you saw!" Snow commands him. It's in moments like this Henry sees the runaway princess she once was.

"Tinkerbell heard flying monkeys near the park. She thinks they were headed towards the woods! It looked like they had someone with them!"

_The park!_ _Killian!_

Henry immediately looks at the grandfather clock. Dread begins to creep up his spine, and his heart sinks as he reads 10:30AM. He tries to breathe slowly to calm himself down. There's no way the monkeys could have taken the pirate. Not after what Henry had seen him do with a sword yesterday.

Something deep within him confirms his reasoning. Hook would never let himself be taken. Besides, Henry feels like either he or Emma would somehow know if Hook went missing. His mother always seems to know just where the pirate is - even if they haven't talked about it.

But what if he's wrong? What if this time Emma doesn't know? What if Hook is taken simply because Henry wants to keep his sword practice a secret?

This wouldn't be the first time Henry would be responsible for something terrible befalling his family. Last time _his_ desire to help Pan had allowed him to get back to Storybrooke, and unleash a second curse on everyone. He'd lost his grandfather and his mother had had to say goodbye to her parents for the second time. He doesn't think he can be responsible for the loss of her best friend as well.

He's snapped out of his thoughts by Roland's voice. It seems that the boy has been furiously tugging at his sleeve for the past minute or so.

"_Henry!_ Vanilla or chocolate!"

"Uh… Chocolate!" Henry answers distractedly, his mind still on the group on the foyer. Roland's face lights up. It's obvious this is the right answer. Not that Henry notices. Everyone seems to be dividing up into teams.

Just then he catches Emma's eye. She immediately heads over to him, followed closely by Neal and Regina. Though both hold their distance when she reaches him.

"Henry, someone's gone missing and I need to go find them." Emma explains, looking him straight in the eye and placing both her hands on his shoulder. Henry nods.

"Are you taking Killian with you?" He asks in the hopes that his mother will be able to confirm whether the pirate is safe and sound.

His concern clearly surprises her. "I… I don't know." She says, in an attempt to answer him. "I'm not really sure where he is right now and I don't really have a way of getting in touch with him."

Seeing his worried expression she adds. "But I'm sure he's okay. Maybe we should get him a cell phone."

She smiles that smile she usually uses to convince Henry that everything will be okay. Henry can tell that his words have caused her to worry about Hook as well.

"Mom, what if Killian's the one who's gone missing?" Henry asks, except that right now he's not talking to Emma Swan, mother. He's talking to Emma Swan, saviour. More than anything he needs the saviour to fix this. To fix what could potentially have been his mistake.

Emma seems to sense the reason behind his concern and pulls him in for a hug. He knows it's the least she can do for him right now.

"I wouldn't be too worried about Hook," she says softly. "He's survived Neverland and Rumplestiltskin. I'm sure he can survive a few flying monkeys – right?"

Henry nods, reluctantly accepting what she's saying.

She tucks her hair behind her ear, looking him in the eye again. "Good. Now stay here. I'll be back soon."

"Can't I come with you!" He protests, attempting to move past her.

"Henry you know I can't let you do that!" She says shaking her head. "For all we know, the Wicked Witch might make a move on either you or Roland."

"If she really wanted to make a move on me she could have tried at the park yesterday!" Henry argues in frustration.

"Henry, Emma's right." Regina says, chiming in now. Her expression softens when she sees his face. "Besides we need someone to watch over Roland. And you know you're the perfect person for that."

"Aren't you worried the monkeys will show up here?" Henry asks, putting up a fight. The only thing worse than the idea that his friend could be in danger, is the fact that he can't actually help him. He sees Roland's ears perk up at the mention of 'monkey'.

"No. Regina put a protection spell around this place. Robin and I are the only ones that can enter." Emma explains.

"Why can't you do that for the whole town?" Henry pushes back, trying to make his case.

This time it's Regina's time to explain. "Because then we wouldn't be able to track down this Witch. We still don't know who she is."

"But Killian could be missing! And he's my friend!"

He sees Regina quickly glance at Emma at his comment. If his mother is surprised by his comment she doesn't let on, her focus remaining on his face.

"Henry, I'm really sorry about this. But you have to stay here. Hook's a grown man, he can take care of himself." Emma's tone is final, even if her gaze is apologetic. She turns and walks out the door.

Neal walks up to him and puts his arm around him and gives him a squeeze. "Don't worry buddy, your mom's gonna figure this out. Killian's going to be fine. Just wait and see."

He gives Henry another squeeze and heads towards the door as well.

Henry shakes his head and turns back, only to find Robin now waiting for him. Henry looks up, surprised.

"I know it's tough, but I really appreciate this." He says, looking Henry in the eyes. "You know he really looks up to you. You're like his older brother."

He pats him on the back, before he exits, shutting the door behind him. Almost immediately, Henry can kind of feel the protection spell set in place.

He turns to see Roland beaming up at him.

"Let's play!" He says, stuffed grey monkey in hand. Henry sighs and nods, following him into the next room.

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The more Roland plays with the monkey, the more Henry begins to get concerned. Why hasn't Emma called with news about Hook?

He shouldn't just be sitting around here and just playing. That's not what heroes do when their friends go missing!

Just then the clock starts to chime and Henry is hit with an idea. If Hook is alright, like he suspects, he'd be in the park. After all, the pirate is nothing if not punctual. He takes out his phone to text Emma Hook's possible location. But then he stops himself. He doesn't want to distract her from possibly saving someone's life. Not if this is something he can easily do himself.

That's when he remembers Roland, the younger boy, obliviously playing with his toys.

He bites his lip as he takes this new factor into consideration. It shouldn't be that hard. All he has to do is go to the park and warn Hook, then come straight back home. Hook could even accompany them. Emma wouldn't be able to say something if he was watching them - right?

Besides, the park was just a few minutes away. What could go wrong?

That's it, Henry decides. He will be going on this quest.

"Hey Roland," he says, smiling at the boy. "Wanna take a walk?"

"Sure!" he replies with a big smile.

Henry feels a bit guilty. He knows there's nothing Roland wouldn't agree to do with him. But he pushes it aside. Now is not the time for hesitation. They need to act.

"Great. We're just going to go to the park. Go get your coat!"

Roland gets up and scrambles to get his coat, Henry runs upstairs to get his sword from under his pillow. When he comes downstairs he sees Roland standing by the door, another one of Henry's scarves wrapped around his neck, ready to go.

As he opens the door he feels Roland's much smaller hand wrap around his fingers as he joins him in the doorway. He looks down and sees Roland smile up at him. For a fleeting moment, Henry worries that this might be a bad idea. But when he thinks of Hook being in danger because of something he wanted, he pushes the thought away.

Sometimes being hero means taking a big risk.

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**A/N:** I've been sitting on this story idea for a while. I really wanted to tell a story not only from Henry's point of view, but I wanted to explore the brotherhood dynamic between him and Roland, especially since there are so many pairs of brothers on the show. Unexpectedly there were a few instances of Hooded Cobra, which I did not see coming so I'm pretty happy with that. Robin's going to be a great dad to both boys. But for now, this about Hook and Henry… And Roland.

Neal died after I'd already written this. So I made the choice to keep him living in this. I think Henry's feelings for him would be

As usual, if you have any thoughts, comments, questions or concerns let me know! You can find my stuff over here on tumblr, or in and now, AO3! Thanks for reading!


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